


Without and Within

by Life_sans_Sin



Series: WaW Requests and Drabbles [4]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, And he's also an asshole, Angst, Bond Breaking, Ecto-Tongue (Undertale), F/M, Fellsy has problems with relationships, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Heartache, I promise, Sans from the Underfell Universe gets dropped into the Undertale Universe, Soul Bond, Underfell Sans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-08-24 13:55:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8374627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Life_sans_Sin/pseuds/Life_sans_Sin
Summary: Through a series of unfortunate circumstances, Underfell Sans ends up falling into the Undertale Universe, where Sans, Papyrus, Frisk, and Lena had been in the skeleton brothers' old house in Snowdin, Sans wanting to show his mate some of himself and his past, as well as wanting to get back to the machine he'd kept locked up in the basement.Who knew that trying to create a doorway inside the machine would turn out like this?(Please leave comments and leave critiques and feedback. I'd like to know how I can improve!)((This is going to be more like a series of one-shots as chapters instead of an actual chapter fic.))





	1. It's gotta start somewhere

“Wow… So this is where you guys lived?”

 

“YES INDEEDY! THOUGH IT WASN’T NEARLY THIS DIRTY LAST TIME…”

 

“Hey, what are those little paw prints?”

 

“GASP!! HUMAN, YOU MUST BE WARY OF THAT BLASTED CANINE!! IT WILL STEAL YOUR BONES AND SIT IN YOUR LASAGNA! I MUST GO FIND A WAY TO DOGPROOF THE HOUSE!!”

 

The towering skeleton sprinted out the front door, leaving it hanging wide open and allowing the cold wintery air to blow inside in his wake. Lena stood dumbfounded for a few seconds before she broke into giggles. What a ‘Papyrus’y thing to do, worrying about dogs. Though she had a few questions (like why a dog sat in his lasagna, for one), she wrote off the antics and warnings as simple over-exaggeration. A small tug on the sleeve of her puffy olive green parka pulled her attention down to her left, where Frisk stood bouncing on their heels, eagerly waiting for her attention. “Yes? What is it?” Their hands moved energetically, too quickly at first, which they had to physically slow themselves down so they could be understood. Despite their calmer signing, they were still bouncing from foot to foot, expression becoming almost desperate.

 

 _ _“Can I go help Papyrus catch Annoying Dog?!”__  She had to wonder why on earth they’d name it ‘Annoying Dog’, but she heard the breathy whine of impatience coming from the child, so she gave a nod of her head. If they made it through the Underground once then surely they’d be okay now that it was mostly empty. Frisk threw their arms around her waist in a hug, face practically alight with glee as they turned on their heel and ran out the door, chasing after Papyrus’ footprints in the snow. She smiled and looked after them fondly for a moment before deciding to explore the space she now found herself in.

 

The kitchen and living room were all open space with no doorway between them and, though the space wasn’t very large, it seemed to be enough for the two brothers. She wandered over to the wooden dining room table and caught sight of a rock sitting on a small pillow in the center of the table. There was an accumulation of sprinkles on top of it that, despite having been there for what, presumably, was a very long time, had still maintained their rainbow of color. She remembered Papyrus mentioning that Sans had a pet rock and she snorted, raising a hand cover her mouth as she broke into a wide grin. __‘That’s so them.’__  Next to the television was a lone sock lying on the floor and a series of post-it notes plastered all around it. It was endearing seeing how the two of them interacted, even before she met them…maybe even before Frisk met them. She would have to admit that she’d been curious of that…what their lives were like before, living Underground.

 

She could tell almost immediately that there was a difference. The air wasn’t as fresh and clear down beneath the earth and, though the caverns were wide and incredibly spacious, she could still sense the tons of rock and earth looming overhead. What must it have been like, not being able to see the sky? The stars? The moon? The sun? __‘It’s no wonder they were so desperate to break the barrier… I can’t really blame them.’__  She tried to imagine Asgore as a King, having to do whatever it took for the good of his people, even if it meant killing innocent human children…killing Frisk. She shook her head to dispel the thoughts, feeling them flutter and settle across her mind like the thick layer of dust coating every surface.

 

Dust…

 

Oh.

 

The human frowned and glanced around, suddenly feeling very ill at ease. Monsters turned to dust when they died, so did that mean…? Could any of this dust have possibly, at one point, been…a monster? She shuddered and forced herself to move across the room, climbing the stairs to look for cleaning supplies. If Sans went to all of the trouble to bring her here, to show a little more of himself like this, then the least she could do was try to make it as comfortable as possible. Maybe clearing the dust and cleaning up might help with that.

 

__“Hey, uh, I got somethin’ I need to go and check out.” His slippers had kicked at the snow a bit and she’d turned to look him over with only a small twinge of concern. That grin spread onto his face, though, and he gave a small wave as he headed off into the forest. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, babe. I’ll be back before you_ _ **_**_snow_ ** _ ** __it!”_ _

 

 _ _‘Something about being down here is making him anxious…but what?’__  She found herself wishing she’d at least gotten him to tell her where he was going first, but there was nothing to be done about it now. She pulled on the pair of over-sized rubber gloves she found in the closet at the top of the stairs and reached up on the tips of her toes to grab a washcloth and cleaning supplies. “Okay, Lena, let’s get to work!”

 

* * *

 

 

It wasn’t necessarily anything of great importance, but he still felt that same old itch. Deep within his bones, the thought of __not__ doing something about it was going to drive him crazy. Maybe it was just the scientific part of his mind. Not knowing something was always something he hated and, though he’d never claim to know everything, having the chance to find out and not taking it was just something he wasn’t okay with. That’s why he’d wound up suggesting that they go visit Snowdin under the guise of showing Lena around their old home. Part of him felt bad for not being completely upfront and truthful. Part of him had a sneaking suspicion that she already knew he wasn’t, and, though that thought still made him feel guilty, another part of himself felt complete adoration for his kind, kind human.

 

He waited until he’d passed far enough into the treeline before taking a ‘shortcut’, cutting a doorway through the fabric of space and stepping into his old workshop. Frozen in time, it seemed, because everything remained completely untouched. The dust was minimal compared to the rest of the house, but a thin layer still rested on every surface. The wet laces of his untied sneakers drug across the ground, leaving a squiggling line in the minor filth that covered the cold tile floor. Blueprints, though their color was muted by dust, still laid opened on the counter. His hand twitched toward the first, leftmost drawer before he stopped himself, shaking his head and curling his fingers into a tight fist as he withdrew his hand. Not now. He could look at that later. Right now, he needed to satiate his curiosity about __that__.

 

‘That’ was the machine. The one that had remained, broken and nonfunctional in a corner of the workshop. A blue sheet had been thrown over it to try and spare it from the dust and, should Papyrus somehow wander in, keep it from his sight. He pulled that sheet aside now, listening to the faint whisper of rustling fabric as it pooled at his feet. It was still the same as it had been the last time he’d looked at it. He’d never managed to make it work before, and, though there were theories scrawled out in the margins of blueprints, he didn’t know exactly what it was supposed to do.

 

__‘What if it could be the key to banishing Chara?’_ _

__

__‘What if it can help us draw power from another universe?’_ _

 

It was thoughts like these that spurred him on, and, reaching for the box of tools resting across the room, he watched as he allowed his magic to envelop the box and pull it toward him. He flipped the lid and grabbed a wrench, shoving the sleeves of his parka up his forearms and leaning into the machine to get to work.

 

Unscrewing a panel here, disconnecting and reconnecting a few wires there, stripping a wire and twisting it with this one, cutting a different wire and replacing it with a new one that wasn’t corroded… He worked at it tirelessly, only pausing to raise an arm to wipe at the sweat dotting along his forehead, only to remember he’d rolled his sleeves up and smearing the sweat along his ulna. Maybe now. He pushed the large red button, heard a small shuttering sound as an electrical pulse ran through something, waited…

 

…but nothing happened.

 

“Damn, guess I have to figure out something else…” He reached for the rag bunched up in the toolbox and wiped away the sweat on his brow, ignoring the feeling of machine oil on his fingers as he reached back in for a different wire behind the panel. __‘It was trying to do something, so I must be on the right track. Maybe if I just…’__  He fiddled with it a bit more, turning to the control panel and twisting the knobs and flipping the switches located there before trying again.

 

And again.

 

And again…

 

And again, until, eventually, he was startled from his work by a fierce buzzing from his pocket. He quickly wiped his hands on the rag and tossed it aside, reaching into the pocket of his sweatpants and pulling out his phone.

 

[ ****Lena:****  Hey, are you coming back for dinner..? You’ve been gone a while. ]

 

He checked the time and grimaced, noting that he’d already been gone for over four hours. Where’d the time go? He hastily typed out a reply stating that he’d be there ‘ _ _in a flash__ ’ and reached out in front of him, cutting a doorway through to the living room. He could see it, the smallest glimpse of Lena’s face between where he was and the Void, and just as he stepped through, he felt a harsh pull jarring him from the action. The darkness suddenly seemed to swirl around him much more ferociously, like it was being agitated by something incredibly large and powerful. His skull whipped around as he tried to find his bearings, only to see himself standing right in front of him, floating in the darkness. In a panic, he reached out and tried to open another doorway, and he fell through, landing face-first into the cold snow…

 

* * *

 

 

…and not knowing where the fuck he was. Sans’ skull was spinning as he gingerly sat himself up, a hand held to his head as he winced at the pain from his headache. The snow began to soak into his black and yellow track pants and he pushed himself to his feet, eyes darting around with nervousness as he looked to see if anyone had seen him fall. There was no one, though. The usual rowdy commotion wasn’t even coming from Grillby’s. The entire area was eerily silent, and--

 

…were those __christmas lights__  on his house?

 

“Tha fuck?” he groused, kicking his red and black sneakers through the snow moodily as he made his way for the house, mentally trying to take stock of what had happened. He had been at his sentry station, and his shift had just ended. He remembered that very clearly. Boss hadn’t come by yet to check on him, so he figured he could sneak off to Grillby’s for a quick bite before heading home, and he’d taken a ‘shortcut’, and--

 

Memory of the churning darkness and himself filled his skull and he stopped short, stumbling on his feet. __‘I was in the Void, and… No, that wasn’t me, because I’m me! It was…an alternate version of myself?’__  The corners of his mouth turned down into a scowl as he thought it over. It sounded ridiculous and, honestly, that hadn’t been something he thought was actually possible. Sure, there were theories about parallel dimensions and alternate universes, but there’d never been any actual proof that they exist. __‘Maybe I’m just fucked up from those Temmie Flakes I took this mornin’ and this is all some weird hallucination.’__  He continued to trudge through the snow, glancing around at the buildings and scenery and how __different__  it all felt, despite being so similar, when a voice startled him mid-step.

 

“SANS!” Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck-- “THERE YOU ARE! YOU ALMOST MISSED DINNER!” Sans turned around and glanced up nervously at the voice that sounded like it belonged to Boss, except--

 

 _ _‘...Tha fuck is he wearin’?’__  He must have been quiet for too long because Papyrus reached his gloved hands out and picked him up under the arms, and Sans felt himself stiffen.

 

“WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN? THE HUMAN WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU, YOU KNOW. YOU CANNOT KEEP THEM WAITING! AND WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR CLOTHES??” There were too many questions that he didn’t have answers to, and he was being touched by someone he didn’t know, and he __wanted to yell at him to put him the fuck down__. He gave the other skeleton a grin, though, shrugging his shoulders weakly.

 

“Ah, uh, y’know, ya always said I got terrible style. Figured I should ad _ _dress__  the issue?” Sweat began to bead on the side of his skull as he awaited whatever reaction this alternate version of his Boss would give. He was surprised when the other’s mouth pulled into a smile, though he very quickly tried to hide it.

 

“SAVE THE PUNS! COME ON, BEFORE DINNER GETS COLD!” Papyrus tucked him under one arm and sprinted the rest of the distance to the house, and Sans was torn between shoving himself away and holding on for dear life. He was thankfully plopped down onto his feet once they reached the front door, and he took a moment to take in the sight of the multiple colored lights adorning the usually dull exterior. This house even still had all of its windows. Last time Sans remembered, they’d had to patch up their front window with plywood because Monster Kid and a few of their friends decided to fuck around in town. Papyrus reached out and swung the front door inward and a rush of warm air reached out to greet them. “HUMANS, I HAVE RETURNED! AND I FOUND SANS!” The tall skeleton strode into the house, leaving Sans outside to debate on whether or not to actually follow him. The faint whistling of chill wind from the trees around him convinced him to go in.

 

This was most definitely __not__  their living room.

 

The carpet was a disgusting blue and purple chevron pattern that made his eyes hurt just looking at it, though the walls were a familiar shade of burgundy, if only slightly lighter than what he remembered seeing in his own house. Instead of a torn black leather sofa, the one here was green and looked plush even from where he was standing. It was then he noticed the familiar face. __‘What tha hell is Frisk doin’ here?!’__  Frowning, he stared the child down from the doorway, watching as they looked him over curiously. They lifted their hands above the arm of the sofa and signed to him, their expression pulling into a puzzled frown.

 

 _ _“Are you going through your rebellious phase, Uncle Sans?”__  

 

“Uncle who now?!” There was no way this kid should still be alive. Just how different was this universe compared to his own? The smell of tomatoes and garlic and spices wafted through the air and he stopped, turning his attention from preparing to chew out the kid and looking toward the kitchen. It had been a while since he last had a decent meal (since Grillby started making him actually pay…and all of his money went to Boss to help pay for living). He gave the kid one last narrow-eyed look before he shuffled off toward the kitchen. “Yo, Boss, wuddaya makin’?” Papyrus was standing at the stove stirring a pot filled with something, donning a frilly pastel yellow apron, and Sans couldn’t help the snort that tore through him at the ridiculous sight. The other turned to look at him, completely unbothered as he lifted the spoon, covered in a red substance.

 

“I’M NOT YOUR BOSS, SILLY, I’M YOUR BROTHER! ALSO, I’M MAKING SPAGHETTI, OF COURSE! I TOLD YOU I WOULD BE!” Ah. Of course it’s spaghetti. A furrow appeared above his nasal ridge as he furrowed his brows, remembering in all too vivid detail the last time Boss had cooked for them. He never found himself __wishing__  he was capable of vomiting more than after that fateful meal. His magic levels were depleted for days afterward.

 

“Ah, yeah, ‘course.”

 

“YOU! SHOULD GO UPSTAIRS AT ONCE! RIGHT NOW! FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON!” Sans stared up at him like he suddenly had two heads and Papyrus sighed impatiently. “I MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN TOLD BY YOUR MATE TO KEEP SOMETHING A SECRET, BUT YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY GO UPSTAIRS NOW! NOT THAT IT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT SECRET! AT ALL! WHATSOEVER!” His eyesockets widened as he took in that information. __‘A mate?! Fucking A, this universe’s Sans got lucky?’__

__

__‘Well, I’m Sans, ‘n I’m in this universe. Guess that makes ‘em my mate, right?’__  His face split into a wide, mischievous grin as he turned on his heel and started heading out, waving over his shoulder and muttering a quick ‘thanks bro’ as he cut through the living room. He climbed the stairs two at a time, already puzzling over who it could be waiting upstairs for him in his mind. That slutty bunny that hung out at Grillby’s maybe? She’d been trying to __bone__  him for years… or maybe it was Grillby’s daughter, Fuku? She was young, sure, but he liked a girl who was a little __fiery__. As he climbed the last step and turned to walk straight for his room, all thoughts of how he’d gotten there and getting back were pushed to the back burner for the time being. He reached out to grasp the handle and turned, pushing the door inward and stopping cold in his tracks.

 

There was a human lying in his bed.

 

__There was a fucking human in his goddamn bed._ _

 

Surely Papyrus was joking. There was no way he’d ever bond with a human, right? His eye lights flickered out as he stared, waiting for the human to move. Surely this was all a trap. She’d move in to kill him, take his soul, his dust would scatter across the filthy carpet.

 

 _ _‘...Did this bitch seriously clean my room?’__  The usual assortment of socks and balled up papers were missing, and the ugly carpet was free from debris. There was a treadmill pushed up against the wall to the side and the mattress actually had clean sheets on it. That was where the human was, curled up under a thick blanket fast asleep. Hesitantly he stepped closer, leaning down and listening. Her chest rose with every slow, deep breath. He sighed in relief and stepped back, moving to sit on the floor with his back against the opposite wall so he could keep an eye on her. As his back slid down the wall with a soft whispering of fabric, he kept his eyes trained on her, refusing to move the narrow crimson lights in his eye sockets from her sleeping form. __‘There’s no way. This’s some fuckin’ prank or somethin’…’__

__

A shifting from the bed made his body go rigid, bones clacking together loudly as he straightened up painfully against the wall, the sharper pointed tips of his fingers digging into the filthy carpet. His magic boiled in his bones, ready to unleash itself at a moments notice should the human decide to attack him. She pushed herself up against the mattress into a sitting position, long strands of auburn hair falling in front of her face as she blinked blearily, a hand raising to rub the sleep from her eyes. He gave her a quick once-over to assess the threat and…well…she really didn’t look that intimidating. Everything about her looked soft. She was much larger than any human he’d seen (since the only one had been the kid, and they’d been half-starved-looking in __his__  universe), and there wasn’t a single hard edge about her. No claws, only blunt fingernails that, honestly, looked too short to do any real damage.

 

Everything on her was all curved and soft edges and round and-- wait, fuck, she was getting up, she was __moving__ , he needed to get out of here before--

 

Green.

 

It was the most intense and complicated shade of green he could ever remember seeing. The only thing that even could be considered similar was the dusky dark green of thick pine needles that surrounded most of Snowdin, but even that was just a single drop of hue compared to what he was seeing now. Shit, and they were so __bright__ , too. He’d never seen eyes as bright as these, not anywhere throughout any of the Underground.

 

“...Sans?” Shit, her voice was still thick with sleep, but even it in all its quietness managed to startle him. He could feel the beginnings of sweat forming on his brow and the lights in his sockets narrowed to no more than tiny pinpricks in the darkness. She was looking at him. There was no denying it, those eyes he’d just spent however long staring at without noticing were looking __right at him__ , and fuck, now he’d been __seen,__  and he didn’t know what to do-- “Why’re you dressed like that…?” Her bottom lip stuck out slightly as her expression fell into one of thoughtfulness, brows furrowing and making a crease between them, just above the bridge of her nose.

 

“Ah, y-y’know, change of style, heheh.” The stammer in his voice was minor, but he still cursed its existence.

 

“Oh… Is that what you left to go do? You were being awfully secretive…”

 

Think fast you dumbass.

 

“Yep! Sure is! Figured ya might like this one a bit more.” Her frown deepened the slightest bit and he froze. __‘Fuck, she’s not gonna buy that, ya idiot!’__  “Yeah, cuz, uh…” He drew a blank, and as his soul thudded away solidly against his ribcage, he grasped for straws in his mind. The faintest sound of sliding fabric drew his attention back to the human who was now moving her legs over the edge of the mattress, bare feet touching the carpet and curling against the plushness of it for a moment.

 

“If that was all it was then you could’ve just said so. You didn’t have to sneak off.” The smile she sent him was soft, with the faintest hint of teasing along its edge. “So…what, did you go through a rebellious phase when you were younger? You look like one of my brothers did when they bought all their clothes at Hot Topic.”

 

 _ _‘The fuck’s wrong with my clothes?!’__  His teeth gnashed together as he forced his smile to widen, browbone ticking slightly in irritation. The human made a small noise of confusion and, before he had time to do anything about it, she was on the floor with him, settled between his legs on her knees and leaning in close to his face. __‘Shit shit shitshit--’__

 

“Woah… Your teeth are super sharp now. And you have a gold tooth?? Can you do that with your magic..? I’ve never seen you do it before--” Her hands were moving closer to him, just shy of cupping his jaw and he arched against the wall, trying desperlately to push closer to it, but unable to do so. Why was he trying to pretend to be this universe’s Sans again?? __‘Because I thought I could have some fun with his mate. I didn’t expect it to be some human…’__  Green eyes narrowed at him and he watched with a deathly stillness as she slowly lowered her hands away from him, the look on her face one of concern. “Sans…?” And why did his soul feel funny every time she said his-- __their__  name?

 

If he had a heart, it would’ve stopped dead from an attack at the sudden and forceful banging on his bedroom door. Even the human flinched slightly as she turned to look at it, clearly confused.

 

“HUMAN! BROTHER! IF YOU TWO ARE FINISHED WITH YOUR CONFOUNDED CANOODLING, DINNER IS READY!” A voice that could only be Papyrus blared through the wooden door (sure, Boss was loud, but even he wasn’t __this loud__ ) and, between his eye-lights flickering from the door to her, he noticed her face turn red.

 

“Okay Pappy! Thank you!” she called back, getting to her feet and brushing her hands against the front of her shirt to smooth out the creases. He took the opportunity he was granted and shot to his feet, hands shoved into his pockets to hide their nervous tremble.

 

“Haha, yeah, welp. See ya downstairs.”

 

“Wait, Sans--!” He fell into inky blackness and breathed a sigh, anxious magic settling within his bones as he finally got a moment alone to think.

 

__‘This was a bad idea…’_ _

 

* * *

 

 

Dinner had been a particularly awkward affair. Seemingly able to sense that something was amiss, Papyrus kept the conversation going and making sure it was firmly away from Sans…and his suddenly random change in fashion choice. Frisk showed Papyrus how to make faces with their spaghetti and meatballs to direct attention away from how voraciously Sans was devouring his own plate of spaghetti, immediately going back for seconds, and thirds. Spaghetti sauce was all over the corners of his mouth and along the fronts of his sharp teeth. After the dishes had been cleared away and everything was cleaned up, Papyrus and Frisk put on their boots and stood by the door, the taller skeleton sending his brother ‘A Look’.

 

“WELL, FRISK AND I ARE GOING TO GO FOR A WALK TO PATROL AROUND SNOWDIN! LEAVING YOU AND YOUR HUMAN HERE. ALONE. TOGETHER. WITHOUT EITHER OF US TO GET IN THE WAY. __WINK!__ ” The skeleton said ‘wink’ outloud just as he winked, his grin spreading so wide that his cheekbones rounded and his eyesockets began to narrow. Frisk was giggling breathlessly behind their hands, eyebrows waggling expressively above their chocolate brown eyes, which twinkled in mischief.

 

“Ah, uh, Boss, y’ don’t gotta--”

 

“WE WILL SEE YOU TWO IN AN HOUR! PLEASE BE SURE YOUR CANOODLING DOES NOT TAKE MUCH LONGER AS I DO NOT WISH FOR FRISK TO CATCH A COLD!” Sans could feel his cheekbones flush a hot red and he sputtered, chin pressing to his chest so his face was half hidden by the fur lining of his hood. With a hearty ‘NYEH HEH HEH,’ Papyrus scooped the smaller human up and dashed out the door, which slammed closed behind them with a note of finality.

 

 _ _‘Fuck.’__  He grumbled and shoved his hands into his pockets, fiddling with a single gold coin that was resting in the very bottom of one as he glanced around the living area. The human (Lena, he had learned her name was) was nowhere to be found, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Despite his initial excitement to finding out his universal counterpart had a mate, he was starting to wish he had just come clean the instant he found out where he was. Why was he trying to keep up some facade that he was this universe’s Sans? This was obviously going to fail spectacularly.

 

Besides, this wasn’t __his__  mate. Sure, it was an alternate version of himself, but the bond wasn’t with him. She would surely find out about that soon enough and then he’d have to deal with that fallout.

 

A loud crashing noise from upstairs startled him and pulled his attention from his thoughts, eye-lights darting to his bedroom door. A muffled curse came through the closed door and he breathed out a sigh through his nasal cavity, taking a single step forward and falling through the doorway he opened and landing straight in the bedroom. The sharp smell of ozone must have alerted her to his arrival (or maybe she was just accustomed to the magic, since her mate did it so often), because she spun on her heel with a hand to her chest, eyes wide with surprise before her expression shifted to one of slight annoyance.

 

“Geez, don’t startle me like that.” She turned back to what looked like the shattered remains of a lamp laying on the carpet, stooping down to pick up the pieces. He raised a browbone and peered around her curiously, watching with almost fascination as the soft curves of her fingers picked upon the sharp edges of the glass with utmost care. Her thumb slid against one of the edges and she released a small hiss, wincing as she dropped the piece of glass and bringing her hand up to her mouth, sucking her thumb between her lips. When she pulled it away again there was a thin red line marring the pale surface of her skin, and the way his eyes focused so acutely on that single line made him want to scream.

 

“Clumsy,” he muttered, stepping without care over the glass and snatching her hand in one of his own, pulling it up to his face to inspect the damage. The cut was shallow, but more of the rubiescent blood immediately welled to the surface. She was a bleeder, from the looks of it. He only half-acknowledged a muttered apology from her before he parted his sharp rows of teeth, allowing his tongue to manifest and dart out to lick up the stray drop of blood that began to run down her thumb. He heard a hitch of her breath and he glanced up, seeing her cheeks flooding with a faint red hue, making the weird spots on her face (freckles, he thinks they’re called) blur together. __‘Heh, cute.’__  The thought came unbidden and he shook it off quickly, instead focusing on how her hand trembled in his grasp, or the way her own eyes averted away from his own, unable to hold his gaze. “Y’ oughta be more careful. Don’t want y’ bleedin’ out on me.” She nodded and, the instant he released his hold on her wrist, she pulled her hand back to her chest, glancing down at it.

 

Her green eyes were almost hyperfocused, her thick, auburn brows furrowed above them in a way that told of contemplation, and her lips pressed into a thin line.

 

“...Where is Sans?”

 

 _ _‘Fuck.’__  The crimson floating pinpricks of light in his otherwise vacant sockets avoided her when her eyes tried to meet his, and sweat began to bead on the side of his skull. Why had he been so stupid? Why didn’t he just get her a bandage or something?!

 

…But, then again, it would be easier this way, right?

 

Gnashing his fangs together with a noisy grinding sound, he shoved his hands deep into the lint-filled pockets of his parka, trying to come up in his mind with what to say or do. Sure, he could __try__  to play the whole thing off like it were nothing…but the chances of that being successful were incredibly low. This was Sans’ mate-- the other Sans, not him. And, judging from what little glimpse he caught, their magic was vastly different, despite having the same frequencies.

 

This was going to wind up being a long, long talk…


	2. It's Ending Before It's Begun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which something begins to end.

It was inevitable, really.

 

He first noticed it when she was sick. It had been a bit of a shock to find out that she'd been sick at all, actually. She'd had plans to take Frisk out. something they called ‘back to school shopping’ that he, honestly, didn't understand why it had to include him. The look Papyrus shot him as he insisted he join made him feel guilty and he wound up caving.

 

_ ‘Our Sans would be here to go if it weren't for you.’ _

 

The unspoken words his mind readily provided weren't helpful or kind, but he felt like he had to hear them.

 

For as long as he'd been here, not once did they get angry with him. Not once did they express the hatred for him that they should be feeling.

 

So he'd tagged along, noticing how Lena was a bit paler than usual, her freckles looking just a bit darker in contrast, but she waved him off.

 

It was only about twenty minutes later that he heard a sickening noise, and he turned just in time to watch bile and sick leak from between the fingers she'd clasped over her mouth.

 

He absolutely  _ wasn't  _ worried.

 

He offered to take her back home, despite how she insisted she was fine…

 

...and then nearly fell face-first into the puddle of vomit at her feet.

 

He'd rolled his eyes (or his equivalent) and took a shortcut back home with her in his arms. She'd nuzzled into the fur lining of his hood, frowning and mumbling something about mustard before passing out right then and there. A part of him wanted to go drop her in her room and lock himself up in his-- in the other Sans’ room. He really ought to have listened to himself...but he didn’t.

 

He carried her as easily as he could have carried anything, not even using his magic to aid him. Something about her weight on his bones was so comforting and just so  _ real _ , he wanted to feel it.

 

She was laid as gently as he could manage on the bedspread, auburn hair spreading across a dark forest green pattern of leaves. He sat on the edge of the mattress and just… looked at her. It was something he never allowed himself, something he didn't want. This place and this universe wasn't his. He didn't want...anyone to grow attached to him.

 

He'd heaved a sigh and moved to get up, bones creaking as he stood, but a small pressure on his arm stopped him. Her still damp fingers were twisted into the material of his jacket, pulling towards her, and--

 

Oh.

 

The water pooling at the corners of her eyes made it look like they were full of stars, and he was torn between leaning forward and wiping them away and remaining frozen in place, staring.

 

“Please…?” Her voice was watery and rough from sickness, but the lower tone only made his bones shudder in response.

 

He hated himself.

 

“Whaddya want?” he asked, and she tightened her grip.

 

“Stay here.” He shouldn’t. He knew he shouldn't. But with her staring up at him, expression torn between uncertainty and desperation, he felt his soul give a disgusting squeeze.

 

Way to twist his arm.

 

He ended up sitting with his back against the headboard and the human laid against his lap and, despite how uncomfortable he was certain it was, she didn’t seem the least bit bothered. If anything, she almost seemed to feel better...and he squashed down any amount of happiness he tried to derive from that observation by insisting that she was sick, the fever was fucking with her head, whatever. 

 

“Thank you…” she murmured, her voice brushing against the inside of his skull like silk and down feathers, almost lulling him to sleep on its own. “...Love you, Sans.”

 

And then everything went cold, and he was all too aware of how scratchy his shitty, torn-up jeans felt against his bones, or how sour his jacket smelled. Too sour. Ketchup smelled sweeter, and he wished that he could just come to love the taste of it for her, but--

 

_ “Sans.” _

 

It wasn’t him.

 

It never would be.

  
  


The second time it happened, it was with him being ‘unaware’... at least, as far as she knew.

 

He’d been browsing through a well-worn theoretical physics textbook, slightly pointed phalanges tapping against the pages as he scanned the pages. It was all shit he already knew, for the most part, and though he hadn’t worked on anything even remotely similar to The Machine in  _ years _ , he found himself curious to try.

 

_ ‘Not for any reason. Just curiosity,’ _ he told himself, turning another page and glaring back at the words that he felt like were mocking him.

 

A faint buzzing sound permeated the silence and he looked up long enough to cast a glance at the clock. “S’ three in tha fuckin’ mornin’,” he grumbled, rolling his shoulders and listening to the bones click together noisily as he turned back to his book. Whatever it was, it wasn’t any of his business.

 

“ _ Sans… _ ” 

A shiver ran down his spine and his skull whipped around to stare at the spot of wall where his room and hers connected. Surely he’d heard wrong… Surely he didn’t just hear the human moan out loud like that. Another followed it and he felt his cheekbones burn with a crimson blush.

 

_ ‘I-I really shouldn’t be listenin’ ta this…’ _ Shaking his head slightly, he slumped further down in his bed, tightening his grip on the book in his hands with every hushed moan and cry of pleasure that slipped through the wall. An unfamiliar warmth began prickling along his sternum and he curiously slipped a hand up his shirt, dragging the tip of his phalange along it and giving a low growl.

 

_ ‘This’s sick…’ _

 

The buzzing sound got louder, as did the human, and he dragged the flat of his palm along his sternum, gritting his teeth.

 

_ ‘This’s wrong.’ _

 

“Ahh- ha… S- _ Sans! _ ” The way he heard the human come with a loud sob made him rip his hand out of his shirt, brows furrowing as he pushed himself to sit up. The book fell to the floor, forgotten and with deep gouges in the cover. He sat and listened to her hitched breaths and quiet sobs for a few minutes before he hauled himself to his feet, cutting a doorway just beneath his feet and falling into the impenetrable darkness of The Void. As soon as the doorway was closed behind him and he found himself standing in the middle of an abandoned field, he pressed the heels of his palms against his eye sockets and snarled.

 

_ FUCK!!! _

 

* * *

 

 

She’d been drinking. Some type of teacher party, he had no clue. In hindsight, he really should have listened, what with Papyrus being gone for work or something (again, he should’ve listened better), but he’d been attempting to keep his distance from her.

 

...Well, from everyone, really.

 

When it came to be 9 o’clock, the time they’d agreed to have her picked up, he cut a doorway to the school and stepped out just in time to see a large arctic bear monster holding her up, one of his large paws on her waist. He wasn’t sure why, but it made fire burn in his bones, and he scowled as he made sure to walk as noisily as possible across the room in their direction.

 

“--nd I really think that you’d enjoy it, if you gave it a chance!”

 

He didn’t know what the massive monster would be propositioning, but he was fairly certain he didn’t like it, anyway.

 

“Mmm, maybe... “ The human stumbled a bit, leaning away from the bear’s soft white fur. When she caught sight of him he watched the happiness flit across her face before it was stamped down. “Oh, my ride is here.” The polar bear monster followed her gaze and immediately released his hold on her, save for a single huge paw on her shoulder to keep her steady.

 

“Ah, so it would seem… It’s nice to meet you, Mister…?” The large bear trailed off slightly, shoulders curving inward as he seemed to consider something, and it took him a moment to realize that this monster was asking for his name.

 

“Sans. Sans the skeleton. Put ‘er there, pal!” He jerked one hand out of his pocket and held it out, palm pointed just slightly downward at the floor. The bear smiled and reached to take his hand, maybe give it a firm shake, but the instant their hands met the silence was broken by a loud buzzing noise. The larger monster yelped and jumped back slightly, shaking his paw to rid it of the faint sting. He collapsed into guffaws and slapped a bony hand against his knee, turning his palm over to expose the electro-joy buzzer strapped to his hand. “The ol’ ‘zapper in the hand’ trick. ‘S always funny.”

 

“Wh-what?!” Seemingly not getting the joke, the polar bear straightened himself, the fur on his shoulders slowly settling back down flat.

 

“Eh c’mon, bud, can’t take a joke? That’s a damn shame.”

 

“I’m sorry, but what--”

 

“Nah, forgive  _ me _ , but you were seeming awful handsy there with your  _ co-worker _ , weren’t ya? A married monster, even. Goin’ after a married woman. Shameful.” There was a flush of red beneath the snowy white fur on the monster’s cheeks and they withdrew their paws as if they’d been burned, leaving Lena to stand glancing between the two of them with obvious confusion.

 

“Wh-what? No! You misunderstand--”

 

“Annnnnnnd I’d take it that yer mate wouldn’t be too pleased to hear ‘bout you flirtin’ with a drunk human at a faculty party, right? I mean, I know ya all are pretty ‘kumbaya’ and all that bullshit, but that’s still pretty disgusting.” He didn’t miss the offended look on the human’s face through the flush of alcohol, but he ignored it. “Anyway, I’mma just take this one home now, make sure she gets to bed safe.” The ursine monster stepped forward, maybe to try and stand between them, spluttering dumbly.

 

“H-hey, you can’t just make accusations like those!” Several other monsters who were standing around them began to murmur amongst themselves, hushed whispers that were obviously about the situation at hand.

 

“A’ight, listen, bucko.” The skeleton’s voice dipped down into a low, gravelly tone that sent a chill down everyones’ spine. “I get that alcohol is a hell of a drug. Shit, it’s pretty great, if ya ask me. I used to sauce it up at least once a day, back home.”

 

Memories of drunkenly trying to hide from his brother’s angry screeching comes to mind, but he shoves it away like an offensive thought. “But ya can’t let it affect yer behavior. Gotta set a good example for the brats you teach, yeah?” He slowly advanced with every word until he was staring up at the towering bear monster, fur of his jacket pressed against the fur on the bear’s chest. Despite the obvious size difference, the bear was withering on his feet, shoulders rolled forward and head ducked as if he were trying to hide. When he got a single shaky nod as an answer he grinned. “Glad we could reach this agreement.”

 

He turned and grasped the human around the elbow and gently led her out of the school, not bothering to spare a single glance backward at the stunned monsters they’d left behind.

 

* * *

 

 

The night air was cold and wet, rain heavy on the horizon. He swore that, if he squinted hard enough, he could see a wall of rain trying to make its way for them in the sky above...but maybe that was all in his imagination. Just another one of the things he had to adjust to with being on the Surface. He couldn’t wait to tell his bro about it.

 

… But, then again, if he was able to do that, then he’d never get to see it again, either.

 

_ Fucking hell. _

 

It wasn’t like he really gave a damn if he got sent back home or not. 

 

( _ ‘One shitty world is just as good as another.’ _ ) 

 

The weather was actually pretty inconvenient. At least back in Snowdin they knew what the forecast would be every day. 

 

( _ ‘It’s  _ **_snow_ ** _ problem, whatever. Who cares?’ _ )

 

“Sans, that wasn’t very nice of you…”

 

Her voice broke through the battling thoughts in his skull and he glanced over at her, taking in the disappointed expression on her face and teling himself he didn’t give a shit about it.

 

“Whaddaya talkin’ ‘bout?”

 

“You were really rude to Barry back there--”

 

“Barry the  _ Bear _ ??”

 

“-- and I think you owe him an apology!”

 

Yeah, he’d as soon apologize to that bear as he’d tell King Asgore to piss off.. Well, the one from his universe, anyway.

 

“...Not happenin’,” he grunted, shoving his hands back into his pockets. They only stayed in there a second before one of them shot out to grab onto the crook of her elbow again, keeping her from leaning too far over. She gave an exasperated sigh and crossed her arms over her chest, and he snatched his hand back when he felt it brush against the soft warmth of her sweater.

 

He wasn’t going to think about it.

 

He wasn’t.

 

... _ Shit. _

 

“Fine then, don’t. But you’re going to have karma come back and bite you at some point or something.”

 

She was a lot more mouthy when she was drinking, he noticed, and he failed to conceal a snort when she stumbled and fell into a tree lining the edge of the sidewalk. The look she shot him was withering and he held his hands up as he shrugged.

 

“I guess I better just  _ leaf _ ya alone then, huh? I mean you look just  _ pine _ to me, but maybe I shoulda asked if you were  _ oak _ -ay.”

 

In hindsight, he should have probably noticed how she’d gone quiet, but he’d been too busy firing off shitty jokes. So he didn’t notice. He didn’t notice how she’d gotten closer to him until he felt something soft and warm and so foreign yet so  _ comforting _ pressing against his teeth. His spine went ramrod straight as he stood, frozen, his mind struggling to reboot and catch up while his body was on standby.

 

He’d expected a lot of things from him making a bunch of crappy tree puns.

 

He never expected for her to kiss him in the middle of the sidewalk.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Fell is an asshole, or, wherein the human isn't happy to see him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, great story. I ended up losing half of the chapter. So here it is, an hour late to when I said I'd post it. It isn't as long as it was originally going to be because I have to leave the house NOW (as I type this actually) to go to therapy, and I'm already gonna be late. I'll update again today or tomorrow in order to make up for it. I'm sorry guys.

“Th’ fuck was that?!”

Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best way to respond to someone kissing him, but hey! In his defense, he wasn’t expecting it, and it was something that he really-- … that really shouldn’t have happened. Yeah.

He fought against the urge telling him ‘no’ and raised his arm to wipe his mouth against his sleeve, wiping away whatever physically remained of the kiss. The faintest shimmer of pink from her lipstick showed on his jacket sleeve, and his cheekbones burned. When he glanced up, he saw that she was staring through him, her bottom lip tucked in between her teeth the way it did when she was about to cry. (He hated himself for knowing that tell, almost as much as the fact that he made her show it.)

Whatever tears were coming never came, though, and instead she shook her head, her alcohol-reddened cheeks darkening further as she stepped closer.

“What’s the matter, Sans?” That name again. “You told me that you loved kissing me… Th-that you loved how soft I am, a-and-- and that you… you…” She sniffled and shook her head, stubbornly stemming off the tears that kept trying to overcome her. He hated it. He hated it, he hated it, he hated--

“Sans, please--”

_ He hated that name. _

His fist slammed into the bark of the tree she’d just fallen against, startling her from finishing her sentence. Leaves fell gently around them, peaceful even as magic angrily churned in his soul and clung thick in the air like static around them. His left socket burst into crimson light, casting shadows across her face that made her look even more afraid than she already was.

“My name ain’t Sans. So stop callin’ me that.” The bark was digging painfully into the tiny spaces between his knuckles, but he pressed his fist even closer, trying to let the pain keep his mind clear. “…It’s Fell now. I ain’t pretendin’ to be your Sans anymore.”

He was done pretending.

He was done being jerked around.

He didn’t want to  _ pretend _ to be her mate anymore.

He wanted…  


 

* * *

  
  


Lena remained silent the rest of the walk home, heading straight to her room without even so much as a goodnight. Fell tried to ignore how hurt he felt because of that, but his mind kept going back to it. Now he wouldn’t even get to  _ pretend _ to be close to her anymore… not that he’d been doing a very good job of that anyway.

Now they’d have to explain to everyone else why he was going by a different name.

God, would he be dusted for taking Sans’ place?

The opening door startled him badly enough that his claws about tore a hole in his jacket pockets. He extracted his hands carefully and turned to see Papyrus standing in the front door, his brow furrowed and his mouth set into a firm frown.

“Oh, uh, hey Bos--  I mean, er, Papyrus!” When was he going to get over the whole name slip-up thing? Apparently not that night. “Was wonderin’ when you’d get home. Y’ mind makin’ us some grub, or--”

“I need to speak with you, if you don’t mind,” Papyrus interrupted, setting his bag on the floor as he closed the front door behind him. Fell didn’t know why, but the sound of the lock turning behind him made him feel all the more uneasy. He chuckled nervously and flexed his hands, clawed fingers curling into fists at his sides.

“Yeah, sure.”

He waited for Papyrus to move first and, after a few long seconds, the taller skeleton moved and took a seat in one of the dining chairs. He gestured across the table and Fell sighed, shuffling begrudgingly to sit in the seat across from him.

“I was going to ask you a few questions, if I may, Fell.” Flinching, Fell caught himself trying to glance back at Lena’s bedroom door down the hall. “Yes, she told me,” Papyrus deadpanned, and Fell heard his mouth snap shut. He’d been just about to ask, but the other skeleton seemed to read his mind. “I’ll get right to the point. You are aware that Lena and my brother were bonded, yes?”

“Yeah, I, uh… I gathered that.”

“Mm, good. And you’re also aware of what bonds are?”

Letting out a small huff of irritation, Fell’s eye-lights rolled within his sockets. “C’mon, I’m not some baby bones. ‘course I know what bonds are.”

“Then you’re aware of what happens when a bond is breeched.”

Fell ducked his head slightly. It wasn’t a question, and, judging from the way Papyrus hummed understandingly, he got the answer he needed. He’d noticed the signs of a breech in bond for a while, but it hadn’t been his place to say anything. …at least, that’s what he told himself. Across from him, Papyrus released a slow sigh, his gloved fingertips drumming in a gentle rhythm against the table top.

“I know that things between you and the human must be… _ tense _ -” Fell snorted derisively and the taller skeleton sighed. “Fine, I get it. That isn’t the point of this.”

“Then what is, huh? Cuz if ya don’t mind, I’d rather not be talkin about ‘er at all.”

The look of pure disappointment on Papyrus’ face would haunt him for the rest of his life.

“Because… I am afraid that she will ‘Fall Down’ if something is not done. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed her behavior,” Papyrus pressed, sockets narrowing, and Fell could feel guilt worming its way into his soul, slitering and coiling, cold like a serpent.

She’d been eating less and sleeping more, taking naps throughout the day. And those naps just seemed to keep getting longer with each passing day. Outside of work, the most she did was visit Toriel or watch movies with Papyrus, and sleep. Even though, Red knew, it was a frequent sleep, it was hardly restful. Several times a night, he’d hear her call out for  _ him _ \-- the  _ other _ Sans-- and it had his soul churning every time.

But that wasn’t his name anymore, so that wouldn’t bother him anymore … or so he told himself.

Papyrus was still sitting quietly, apparently expecting some sort of answer, so Fell gave a small, irritated ‘tsk’ and crossed his arms over his chest. The two front feet of his chair left the ground as he leaned back in it to rest against the wall.

“Yeah, I noticed. Not like it’s any of my business.”

“What do you mean it’s not ‘ _ your business?’ _ Are you trying to say that you don’t care whether or not she ‘Fell Down?’” the other pressed, sockets narrowing and brows furrowing as a look of the closest thing akin to anger he’d ever seen from him passed over his face.

“I’m sayin’ it ain’t my business. Not like she’s my mate or nothin’.”

He hated how bitter he sounded when those words left him and, judging by the way Papyrus stiffened slightly, he’d picked it up, as well. The taller skeleton sighed and rubbed at his temples with one hand, long fingers splayed across his forehead.

“I…am going to bed,” he decided after a moment’s thought, and the scraping of the chair against the hardwood suddenly sounded so much louder. Before he got too far away from the table he stopped, though, turning to Fell with an almost apologetic expression. “Oh and, by the way, I am going to be inviting her friend over tomorrow. They always seem to know what to do when I do not.”

“...Whateva’,” Fell groused, voice little more than a grumpy mumble as he tried to appear indifferent.

“I am simply warning you… Goodnight, Fell.” With that, Papyrus disappeared around the corner down the hall. A few seconds later Fell heard a door open, the hinges squeaking softly, and the gentle click that followed it signaled that the other had retired to his room.

Finally, Fell let himself relax, eyes closing as he let out a long, hissing sigh between his teeth.

This was a lot of shit to put up with.

Muffled choking gasps came from further down the hall and he felt his soul stir beneath his ribs, wanting desperately to seek out the source and calm it, and he felt a hot streak of disgust curdle within his bones. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to be here, lost in some alternate universe without his bro, without anything familiar or even remotely comforting (if you could call anything in his assholeish universe ‘comforting’). There wasn’t supposed to have been some sort of fucked-up human/monster relationship that he wound up getting in-between. His soul wasn’t supposed to reach out for her because of some misplaced bond.

But it was, and he just had to deal with it. The fact that the human he was living with was going through a breach of bond, and that it was all his fault, was just another shitty ticket to add to his list. What was he supposed to do, anyway? Initiate a bond??

God, he  _ hated _ the way that his magic yearned for it when he thought of it. It was all just his magical signature seeking out his alternate self’s, but it felt like his soul was working against him.

He leaned forward to set the front legs of the chair back on the ground and growled in irritation, shoving himself up from his seat and cutting a doorway beneath his feet straight to ‘his’ room. He landed on the bed in a heap, all bones and hard edges digging into the soft mattress. He didn’t even bother with the blanket, instead grabbing onto the edges of his jacket and curling around himself.

He tried not to think about how it smelled faintly of her: of whiskey and a forest breeze.

 

* * *

 

 

School was out for winter break, so she left.

 

That was what Papyrus told him when Fell had woken in a panic, not feeling the familiar, calming presence in the apartment. All he felt was the other skeleton’s bustling energy and, as benevolent as it was, it wasn’t what his anxious soul needed.

 

...Fuck, he just admitted to  _ needing _ her, even if it was in the most indirect of ways.

 

She’d left with her friend who Fell had yet to even meet, and Papyrus wasn’t sure if she was going to return. The words leaving the other were enough to send his magic buzzing like a swarm of angry bees within his bones.

 

_ ‘Not comin’ back?’ _

 

_ ‘Th’ fuck he mean she’s not comin’ back?!’ _

 

And why the fuck he even cared, he didn’t understand.

 

...Well, he did… but he didn’t want to deal with it.

  
  


 

“FELL, WOULD YOU MIND PICKING UP YOUR ROOM? WE’LL BE HAVING COMPANY OVER IN A BIT AND I WANT THE APARTMENT TO BE LOOK PRESENTABLE.” Papyrus called over his shoulder from his place at the stove, stirring a skillet of sizzling hamburger and overlooking a boiling pot of water. 

 

Fell groused and fought back the urge to unleash a rude comment , sockets narrowing as he kicked his feet off the coffee table and onto the floor.

 

“What, we havin’ dinner in my room or somethin’?” he grumbled, ignoring the exasperated sigh the other gave as he shuffled his way toward his bedroom door.

 

It wasn’t even that messy...not really, anyway.

 

Clothes littered every available surface, with pants strewn across the desk chair, shirts collecting on the bedside table, and an assortment of socks gathering in the corner. The only article that remained in order was his coat, which was laid carefully over the edge of his unmade bed.

 

A squawking noise alerted him and he glanced over his shoulder to see Papyrus there, sockets widened comically and his jaw practically unhinged. Fell snickered and kicked a stray sock into the pile in the corner.

 

“Ayy, c’mon. ‘S not  _ that _ bad.”

 

“NOT THAT BAD??? WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT CLOTHES HAMPER I GAVE YOU?” Fell gestured to the foot of the bed, where it sat completely empty, and snorted at the near-explosive expression on the taller skeleton’s face. “IT’S...RIGHT...THERE! WHY…?!”

 

Oh, it was far too much fun fucking around with this universe’s version of his Boss.

 

“Ayyyyyy--”

 

“DON’T YOU ‘AYYY’ ME!! JUST...GET THESE CLOTHES PICKED UP,” he mumbled as he backtracked toward the kitchen, footsteps brisk. He paused to call over his shoulder a quick, “AND SPRAY SOME AIR-FRESHENER,” before returning to the stove to resume his cooking.

 

“What, you sayin’ my room stinks or somethin’?” Fell tried to feel offended but was far too amused. He snapped his fingers and his left eye burst into a crimson fire. All of his clothes gravitated toward the hamper, encased in a thin veil of red magic. Just before they reached it, however, he stopped, his grin widening, and the magic suddenly dispersed. The clothes collapsed to the carpet just inches away from their intended destination.

 

God, he was an asshole.

 

“THEY’RE HERE!” Fell’s amusement got pushed aside as a wave of calm washed over him, the familiar presence setting his anxious soul at ease. He shoved down his hatred for that fact and instead ‘ported straight to the living room, the doorway closing behind him just as the apartment door closed in front of him. Two humans stood inside: one familiar, one not.

 

Lena’s green eyes were rimmed in red, as if she’d been crying, and when she noticed he was there, she averted her gaze.

 

The other was staring him down, eyes narrowed and shoulders squared.

 

“BRIT, IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!”

 

Something told him the feeling wasn’t mutual.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out [my tumblr](https://life-sans-sin.tumblr.com/)!!  
> Leave an ask for a request or send me a message. I love hearing from you guys!
> 
> Be sure to leave a comment to let me know how I'm doing! Thank you!!


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